Effective local listing management is about speed and accuracy. When you update your business information in Birdeye, our system instantly pushes those changes to our network of 50+ sites based on your plan and packages.
However, because each platform (Google, Bing, Yelp, etc.) has its own internal verification process, the "Time to Live" (TTL) can vary. Below is the Service Level Agreement (SLA) guide on what to expect for each major platform.
Listings Sync SLA & Expectations
While Birdeye transmits data immediately via direct API integrations, the platforms themselves have different processing windows:
Platform | Expected Sync Time | Status | Note |
Minutes to 24 Hours | Direct API | Updates usually reflect instantly, but Google may flag certain changes for manual review and can take upto 3 days to make the change | |
Real-time to 2 Hours | Direct API | Changes to Name or Category may take longer if Facebook requires manual verification. | |
Bing | Upto 2 weeks | Direct API | Bing typically processes updates in daily batches but may |
Yelp | Instant to 24 Hours | Direct API | For authenticated profiles, updates are nearly real-time. Unclaimed profiles take longer. |
Apple Maps | 20 Minutes to 5 Days | API / Data Feed | Apple has a rigorous internal verification process for all data submissions. |
Tier 2 Sites | 1 to 30 Days | Data Feed | Smaller directories (YellowPages, etc.) often process data in weekly or monthly cycles. |
Healthcare Sites | 1-30 days | API | Refer to this help center article here |
The Sync Process: What Happens Next?
Once you click "Save" or "Publish" in your Birdeye dashboard, your data goes through three distinct stages:
1. Submission (Instant)
Birdeye pushes your updated NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data to the publisher's API. In your dashboard, you will see the status change to "Submitted."
2. Verification (Varies by Publisher)
The publisher (e.g., Google) checks the data against their own records or third-party sources to ensure accuracy. This is where "SLA" timeframes apply.
3. Live Status
Once the publisher accepts the update, your listing is updated for the public. In Birdeye, your status will update to "Synced" or "Active."
Common Reasons for Delays
Google Review: If you change your business name, address, or category, Google may trigger a "Re-verification" process (often via postcard or video) to prevent fraud. If you make frequent changes to your hours rather than managing them through appointment software, Google may put changes on hold for a longer duration.
Existing Duplicates: If a platform finds a pre-existing "unclaimed" listing that conflicts with your new data, they may pause the sync until the duplicate is resolved.
API Maintenance: Occasionally, publishers pause their incoming data streams for maintenance, which can add 24–48 hours to the sync time.
Holiday Peaks: During major holidays, manual review teams at different companies have backlogs, leading to slightly longer wait times.
Pro-tip:
To ensure the fastest sync possible, make sure your Google Business Profile, Apple, Yelp, and Facebook Page are fully authenticated within the Birdeye "Integrations" tab. This "claimed" status prioritizes your data over community-suggested edits.
How to Monitor Your Progress
You can track the health of your listings at any time by navigating to the Listings tab in your Birdeye dashboard.
Synced: Your data is live and accurate.
Submitted: We’ve sent the data; the publisher is currently processing it.
Action Required: The publisher has rejected the update (usually due to a formatting error or a need for re-verification).
Listings Verifier Report: The Listings Verifier provides businesses with a field-by-field data comparison across core sites like Facebook, Google, Bing, and Apple versus the data in Birdeye